Email Marketing Is What Grows Your Client Base – Don’t Overlook It

Hi there now whatever kind of online business you are planning to develop, using email marketing will be a fundamental part of the overall marketing & promotion mix. However when Sam & I first started out in the merry-go-round that is Internet marketing we kept hearing this phrase at all the seminars and workshops went to – yep you’ve guessed it “ The moneys in the List”.

Now I don’t know about you but when your new and green to something and everyone around you is sagely nodding you don’t like to stick you hand up and say what’s that? Do you? – Eventually it became a bit clearer exactly what they were all talking about so today I want to cover this little fact especially for beginners so you understand the real power of it – hope that’s ok!

So What Is Email Marketing?

Many people would suggest to you that Email marketing is just like any other type of marketing because those same principles that apply to marketing also apply to email marketing, for instance the object is to capture the market’s attention with your email sales pitch so that the recipient will ultimately buy your products or services.

It’s the ability to reach and capture your target audience with a targeted sales message, that’s fundamental. . That’s why the phrase above is so relevant the entire idea is to develop and build an email able list of potential customers.

The easiest way to reach and therefore build your target audience (better known as your ‘List’) is to allow and actively encourage both existing and future website visitors to sign up with their name and email details on your website through an easy visible set up form.

Think Through Your Internet Marketing Strategy Before Starting

However in these days of excessive spam and privacy worries many will not feel comfortable giving away their details sop as Ive already said they need to be encouraged to do so and that comes down to 2 things –

1. Do they trust you? those who’ve visited your site or blog on several occasions are more likely to accept you on trust but new visitors need to be ‘bribed’ – sorry I know that sounds a bit naughty but its not really what I mean by this is you offer them a free Report, Audio/mp3 file, e-book on a specific targeted topic that you know very well they’ll be interested in other wise they wouldn’t be visiting your site anyway, here’s 2 examples – a right and a wrong way:

Wrong way:

Your site’s about snowboarding & you offer them a report about “learning to Ski for beginners”. Ok so what’s wrong with this, both are winter sports involving snow etc. But what you’ve missed is that most snowboarders are young, wouldn’t ski because it’s not cool and doesn’t give the rush that snowboarding does. Also any snowboarder who wanted to get into skiing are unlikely to read a book about leaning to ski for beginners –if they are active snowboarders they’ll consider themselves very comfortable and ‘at home’ on the snow and therefore certainly Not beginners at any level.

My point here guys is that the tempter is not specific or targeted enough to get volume people to part with their details. You’re offering the wrong product to the wrong people – it’s simply not ‘targeted’ enough.

Right Way:

Same site snowboarding – you offer up special repot on the hottest snowboarding moves from the last world snow boarding event + an mp3 interview (which you did over the phone but your punters don’t know that!) with the hottest female snowboarder on the planet (well known in snowboarding circles)

Ok so which one will you respond to? Its not rocket science is it

But the really cool bit is those that join your list not only are clearly very targeted, niche hardcore snowboarders but also you’ve established trust & street cred by offering up an interview as well. Wow suddenly those responders will certainly want to listen to what you have to say when you email them wont they?

Word of Caution Here….

It is better to work with this sort of list than one you merely purchased anywhere. The reason for this that the list of email entries you compiled represent a group of people that are interested in you product or service. They are a highly targeted audience.

On the other hand using a purchased list which could have been gathered anywhere will yield you very poor results in your email marketing campaign because selling dog training materials to welders would be ridiculous; unless they own dogs. – Weird example but you get my point!!

Please just don’t do it, I know it sounds when you open the email saying for only $0000 you can reach xxxxx emails etc but its really not worth it, believe me and can in the worst cases get viewed as spam with all the inherent issues that brings.

Survey email gathering

Another way to reach your target audience and develop your email marketing list is to conduct appropriate market research in order to discover the most appropriate way to communicate with your audience. Always tweaking your emails is an experimental way to close in on the most result producing method. Sometimes you have to check the tone of communication. Other times you can try out new layouts. You will also want to determine how long or short your emails should be.

You may want to experiment with the best time to promote your product or service. Would it be immediately your list signs up or after they have become familiar with you through a few emails?

Listen To The ‘Experts’ Who Know

Most of the experts have always recommended the subtle approach to email marketing. They are of the opinion that blatant sales pitch will only raise a red flag about you. It presents you as one that spares no thought about the customer but is only after the sale.

They suggest you take time to offer helpful information to your audience even before you propose a sale.I’d certainly buy into that philosophy totally – you need to be establishing creditability and trust with your prospective customers and all of that takes time and commitment from you.

It stands to reason, in my example above if after offering top snowboarding moves and Mp3 interview you then follow up with some more free stuff over the following weeks your list is very likely going to be at the stage of ‘eating out of your hand’ – its then and only then you start, but very gradually to introduce a subtle sales message & pitch.

Play The Long Game

For me I’ll often send out 4 or 5 auto responder messages with key info in them and no sales pitch at all so my list get value and useful information for free and then the opportunity to possibly buy some product in auto responder 6 as an example.

Consider the long term – I very successful internet marketer I know well has 1 client how has remained on his list for years and spent over $30,000 over time with him !! Wow how about that.

Communication is very important in you email marketing because it will serve you no use if your customer does not understand you. The way out of this is to encourage them to ask questions if they fail to understand certain details of the email. This is what is also referred to as feedback which is the most ideal way a marketer can truly know and offer the right product or service that the customer wants.

Tony